In his celebrated, but tardy, prime time television announcement, President Obama told the world that America is on the right side of history. Wrong, Mr. President. We are living in the wake of terror in America and fearful of more to come. The population is now living in a state of concern when going to a shopping mall, convention center or sports arena – any place where there is a large public gathering. Welcome to the world in which Israelis have been living for decades. The terror which Israelis confront on a daily basis will soon be mirrored on American streets. The proverbial handwriting is on the wall. Those who shout “Death to Israel and Death to America” mean exactly what they say.
This being the case we have to ask why, in the name of G-d, is America admitting a large group of people who are known to harbor anti-Semitic and anti-American attitudes and who vehemently oppose our Judeo-Christian values? When refugees or immigrants are admitted to a country, they are expected to assimilate into the culture of that country and not try to change it from within which is the Islamic agenda. Let it be clear, America embraces Judeo-Christian values. We embrace the G-d of Israel who is the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and we recognize and uphold Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. Yes, America may welcome others to her shores who are searching for a better life but we do not appreciate nor will we tolerate any attempt by others to weaken or “change” the fabric of American society. I speak, of course, from an Evangelical Christian perspective which differs greatly from the position espoused by the current White House administration.
At this time in our history, America is not in the mood to accept a people of another culture and religion that is anathema to the American way of life. We are for freedom of religion but not freedom to break our laws (or use them against us) thereby creating a clash of cultures. Islam and Christianity are at opposite ends of the political, religious and cultural spectrums. Politically, we embrace freedom and democracy, just like Israel. As far as faith is concerned, Christians and Jews believe in the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and despite what the rhetoric out of Washington D.C. would have the world believe, America is a Christian nation and Israel is rightfully a Jewish nation. President Obama promised “change” and we got it. Who knew that the “change” he promised would be an attempt to dismantle our American society and “change” the values, and the allies, we embrace.
The headlines may say one thing regarding the current administration in Washington but it does not represent the temperament of the majority of people in America. Thankfully many, especially those in Israel, recognize this and are hopeful that the next president will, indeed, usher in a time of change whereby we will again be respected in the world as a strong and moral country which stands with those who embrace Judeo-Christian values and the concepts of freedom and democracy.
We have to ask then, what possesses officials in Washington to allow Syrian refugees who are predominately Muslim to come in to the United States? According to poll numbers a third of these migrants are reported to be sympathetic to ISIS and two out of a hundred are ISIS members.
President Obama may see these numbers as small and insignificant but these haters of infidels (and that’s anyone who is not Muslim) will likely radicalize the Muslims who are already in America or even the ones coming in with them. The danger only escalates as the numbers increase.
Who is the president trying to fool? What is his motive? It’s very clear that there is no credible biographical data on the “Syrians” coming in. There is no information from the Syrian government to provide accountability for the people leaving their country and entering the United States. Some of our State Department officials have readily acknowledged this yet the doors are swinging open. In plain English, the immigrants from the Middle East cannot be properly accounted for or vetted. So our government is working with shades over its eyes – blinders really. Is this the right side of history? Prior to this era, while not perfect, our government acted smartly, not blindly, and we stood firmly with Israel, America’s only true friend and ally in the Middle East and the key word here is “true.”
Yes, it is okay to be seen heroically and resolute in our resolve to welcome all people of all races and cultures to our country but not to the detriment of our well-being or that of our allies. A line must be drawn somewhere. It must be drawn precisely where our security becomes at risk, our image in the world becomes one of weakness and our allies are left feeling abandoned.
If there could be any worse news it is this; ISIS, the free world’s enemy, has taken over major cities in Syria that include government buildings that contain blank passports and passport machines. This is an international criminal’s dream and the free world’s nightmare. There are known to be almost 4,000 illegal, false passports, now in use. Some have been tracked into Europe. Most or many of the false passports that Washington officials are aware of have been forged since 2014.
America’s security cannot be wholly secured or even contained. Let’s admit it. While it is only right and good that the government is supposedly on top of all this per the president, we have not perfected our own homeland security. For this we need to take lessons from Israel. Despite what the media says, Israelis are a smart, fair, moral and compassionate people. There are no Israelis shouting “Death to America.” Contrast this with the Facebook pages of Tashfeen Malik, the female San Bernardino terrorist who sympathized with Jihadi ideals in plain sight prior to coming to the United States. Shouldn’t the internet and all social media be scoured when people from countries with a high percentage of terrorists attempt to enter America? Again, we need to take lessons from Israel.
It seems the president has an apparent agenda to continue allowing thousands of unvetted people to enter the country when we still have a lot of security work to accomplish. As a people, American citizens are not without compassion and neither are the Israelis. We are in no way saying not to help the people who are trying to get out of harm’s way. Like Israel, we just need to be smart about it. Instead of opening the door for immigration, Israel sends aid to those who are suffering but no one ever hears about this because the media is largely anti-Semitic. Perhaps America should do the same for those who cannot be properly vetted – send aid but keep the door closed to those who pose a risk.
The world is changing right before our eyes. Anti-Semitism is once again on the rise and hatred of Israel has become almost a religion. Those of us who know the Bible have a mandate to stand with Israel and the Jewish people and I, for one, will not waiver. This, my friend, is the right side of history.
Reprinted with author’s permission from The Jerusalem Post
